County of Union, New Jersey

Union County, NJ – The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders is pleased to announce that replacement of the 103-year-old Gordon Street Bridge is in sight. The Board voted to award a contract for the design of a new bridge at its regular meeting on Thursday, September 11. Due to the complicated nature of the project, the design phase is expected to take approximately 18 months.

The Gordon Street Bridge is located near the western end of the border between Roselle Park and Roselle. It spans the railroad tracks between the two boroughs, at Gordon Street in Roselle. It connects two major east-west arteries, Route 28 and Route 610, which run parallel to the tracks on either side.

“The Gordon Street Bridge project underscores the importance of infrastructure to economic development,” said Freeholder Chairman Christopher Hudak. “We expect that an update of this key connector will help businesses in Union County fill their transportation needs more effectively, create more convenience for commuters and travelers, and enhance our emergency response.”

The Gordon Street Bridge plays an important role in Union County’s roadway network, as one of only four railroad crossings between Roselle Park and Roselle. Of those four, only two are bridges. The other two crossings are below or at the grade level of the railway.

The original parts of the Gordon Street Bridge were constructed in 1911. A 1990’s-era reconstruction project added an extension at the south end of the bridge. The bridge was also rehabilitated in 2005 as a preventive measure, to address a deteriorating concrete deck and other deficiencies.

In addition to enabling the Gordon Street crossing to meet modern construction standards, the new bridge will be expanded from the existing two lanes to three lanes. The third lane will be used for left-hand turns at both ends of the bridge, to ease traffic flow.

The Gordon Street Bridge has been called an “orphan” bridge because it has no owner. Union County has been designated to oversee the design phase, which has been fully funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation through an arrangement with the New Jersey Department of Transportation.

“This is a complicated project that involved county, state, and federal agencies working together to improve vital infrastructure that would otherwise be left in limbo,” said Hudak. “The Freeholder Board is very happy to see this project move forward.”

The design contract of approximately $750,000 was awarded to Hardesty & Hanover of West Trenton.

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More Accolades for Union County Vo-Tech Schools

Union County, NJ – The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders is proud to announce that all five Union County Vocational-Technical Schools have earned a place in the 2014 Newsweek list of “absolute” top-performing high schools in the country.

“The continued national recognition of our Vo-Tech schools’ performance is a testament to UCVTS community’s commitment to creating an atmosphere that supports challenging academics and personal development,” said Freeholder Chairman Christopher Hudak.

“I am extremely proud of the UCVTS community for their academic accomplishments and congratulate our students, dedicated staff members, and administrators on this latest national recognition,” said UCVTS Superintendent Peter A. Capodice. “I look forward to building on the educational foundation we have set.”

For its survey, Newsweek ranked the top 500 schools nationwide using academic criteria including graduation rates and college enrollment.

Newsweek’s latest survey includes two lists: ‘America’s Top High Schools 2014,’ which ranks schools based solely on performance (“absolute” list), and ‘Beating the Odds: America’s Top High Schools for Low-Income Students,’ which ranks schools with poverty levels taken into account (“relative” list).

All five Union County Vocational-Technical Schools were ranked in Newsweek’s “absolute” list of top-performing high schools in the country.

Union County’s Magnet High School ranked #2 nationally. The Academy for Allied Health Science ranked #21, the Academy for Information Technology ranked #27, the Academy For The Preforming Arts ranked #52, and Union County Vocational-Technical High School #198.

The UCVTS campus is located at 1776 Raritan Road in Scotch Plains. Expanded and updated considerably within recent years, the campus includes five high schools that engage students in challenging college-level academics and high demand workforce skills within a supportive environment.

The application process for UCVTS begins when prospective 8^th-grade students attend a required information session at the campus in Scotch Plains. The first session will be on Saturday, September 20. Students who are interested in applying to enter as freshmen in fall 2015 can visit ucvts.tec.nj.us for the schedule of available sessions and all details about applying.

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Union County Freeholders Linda Carter (L) and Bette Jane Kowalski (R) joined Public Safety Director Andrew Moran (2^ndL) and Union County Police Chief Daniel Vaniska (4^th R) during a visit with  members of Union County Police PBA Local 73 at the Habitat for Humanity project on West Seventh Street in Plainfield. The members of PBA Local 73 volunteered and helped build houses that will go to deserving members of the community. (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

 

 

(From left) Union County Freeholder Chairman Christopher Hudak, Vice Chairman Mohamed Jalloh and Freeholders Linda Carter and Angel G. Estrada congratulate James Morris (3^rd L) and Azana Crawley (3^rd R) on becoming New Jersey ACT-SO Gold Medalists. ACT-SO, which stand for Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics, is a NAACP student enrichment program that culminates in local, state and national competitions where students compete for awards and prizes. Both gold medalists attend the Thomas Jefferson Arts Academy in Elizabeth. (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

(From left) Union County Freeholder Chairman Christopher Hudak, Freeholder Vernell Wright, Union County Vocational Technical Schools Superintendent Peter Capodice and Freeholders Bette Jane Kowalski and Alexander Mirabella congratulate Austin Mathew of Union (3^rdL) on being a recipient of a New Jersey Association of Counties and PSE&G Foundation 2014 Scholarship Award. Mathew graduated from Union County Magnet High School and now attends the New Jersey Institute of Technology. (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

Union County, NJ – The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders invites all residents and visitors to join in the commemoration of POW/MIA Remembrance Day, in front of the Union County Courthouse at 2 Broad Street in Elizabeth on Friday, September 19. The ceremony will start promptly at 11:15 a.m.

“This annual public ceremony pays tribute to our service men and women who were prisoners of war, and those missing in action,” said Freeholder Chairman Christopher Hudak. “Please join us as we pause to recognize the sacrifices of our military, and their families and loved ones. With this public ceremony we honor those who are absent, and reaffirm our government’s commitment to ensure that all are accounted for.”

In the event of rain, the ceremony will take place inside the Courthouse, in the first floor Rotunda.

For more information call the Freeholder Board at 908-527-4219.

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WESTFIELD, NJ – The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders announces that its next mobile paper-shredding program for personal documents will be available on Saturday, September 27, at the Westfield Memorial Pool in Westfield.

“Union County’s mobile document-shredding service helps residents fight identity theft and eliminate clutter in their homes,” said Freeholder Chairman Christopher Hudak, liaison to the Solid Waste Advisory Council. “It is a cost-effective way to assist our recycling efforts and it ties in with Union County’s other Go Green Initiatives.”

The Sept. 27^th shredding event will take place at the Westfield Memorial Pool, located at 713 Cumberland Street in Westfield. NEXCUT Shredding of Elizabeth will be shredding documents at the site from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., rain or shine. The shredding event will end before 1 p.m. if the shredding truck reaches capacity.

All Union County residents are eligible to use the paper-shredding service. In an effort to accommodate everyone, there is a limit of four 10-pound bags or boxes per person. Documents should not be bound. Please remove plastic binders and paperclips. Paper that is wet/damp will not be accepted. Residents should continue to recycle non-confidential papers and magazines with their municipal recycling program.

Documents are put into 96-gallon containers provided by the shredding company. The items are then dumped onto a conveyor belt and shredded on site. Participants are welcome to view the shredding process via a closed-circuit television. The shredded documents are then recycled, shipped to paper mills and used as pulp. The next shredding event will take place Saturday, Nov. 1, at Union County College in Cranford.

The mobile shredding program is paid for through New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Recycling Enhancement Act Grant Funds. For more information about future events or directions please call the Union County Recycling Hotline at 908-654-9889 or visit us online atwww.ucnj.org/recycle.

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Union County, NJ – Union County 4-H is offering a new Engineering Club this year, designed for students in grades 4 and 5 who show an early interest in engineering and related technology fields.

“If your child enjoys building toy ramps, tracks, and other structures, the 4-H Engineering Club offers a fun, supportive program to help develop advanced skills and get a firm grasp on the basic concepts,” said Freeholder Chairman Christopher Hudak.

Union County 4-H is a program of the Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Union County, supported in part by the Freeholder Board. Part of the nation’s largest youth development network, 4-H helps youngsters develop leadership and organizational skills while exploring topics of their choice.

The Engineering Club explores basic engineering principles through hands-on activities using simple materials. The activities include building bridges out of paper, rockets out of straws, and ski jumps from foam noodles. It meets on the second Sunday of each month, October to June, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. at the County’s Colleen Frasier Building, 300 North Avenue East in Westfield.

Parents and students can learn more about the Engineering Club and other 4-H clubs at the annual Open House on Friday September 19 from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the Colleen Fraser Building, or by contacting Union County 4-H Agent James Nichnadowicz at jnichnadowicz@ucnj.org or 908-654-9854.

More information about 4-H and all other Extension programs is also available at ucnj.org/rce.

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